Bummed is the second studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released in November 1988 on Factory Records. During 1987 and early 1988, the band discovered house music and the rave drug ecstasy. Factory producer Martin Hannett was subsequently enlisted to produced the band's next album. Sessions were held at The Slaughterhouse in Driffield over three weeks. The period was noted for heavy drug use by the band and Hannett, with their manager later calling it the first ecstasy-fuelled album. Hannett moved recording to Strawberry, where with the aid of other musicians, added extra instrumentation. Bummed is a Madchester release described as "stiff psychedelic funk" by AllMusic. It was influenced by the 1970 film Performance. Happy Mondays toured the United Kingdom supporting James in late 1987, which coincided with the release of the lead single from Bummed, "Wrote for Luck", on 31 October 1988. Happy Mondays played a series of headlining shows to close out the year; stints of mainland Europe and the UK followed in the first half of 1989. "Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer", an alternative version of closing track "Lazy Itis", was released as the second single from the album on 6 May 1989. Following this, the band embarked on a North American tour supporting labelmates Pixies. At the suggestion of their manager, remixes of "Wrote for Luck" – retitled "W.F.L." – were made by Paul Oakenfold and Vince Clarke of Erasure. These versions were released together as part of a reissued "W.F.L." single in September 1989. Bummed received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised Hannett's production work. It peaked at number 59 on the UK Albums Chart, though was initially seen as a disappointing seller by Factory Records. The original version of "Wrote for Luck" reached number seven on the UK Independent Singles Chart. "Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer" charted at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by the remixed "W.F.L." at number 68. Bummed appeared on album of the year and best of decade lists by NME and Sounds and Q. "Wrote for Luck" and Bummed have been viewed as defining releases of the acid house era and the Second Summer of Love.
If somebody were to take the worst elements of 80's music (cheesy keys, gated drums, a dreadful moaning vocalist, all saturated in reverb and thinned waaaaay-the-fuck-out to a treble-y right hot mess) and mix it together, you'd have this album. Not for me.
Sounds like what it is: mediocre, drug-addled, pop rock. Pretty boring, honestly. Ecstasy is not a good drug for making music, apparently.
I'm a sucker for psychedelia and funk. Throw in some electronic soon and I fall for it. Let's be fair. This is no Stone Roses. But it is still one of the defining albums of the short-lived Madchester movement, which became associated with early rave culture in the UK. And indeed you can dance to this. Now, a lot of people think it's dated. I personally don't get that vibe, and I think it holds more than as a product of its time. Did this album remind anyone else of Public Image Ltd? That being said, I do see many of the faults associated with the album. Maybe I have a twisted music taste, but I loved each of the tracks, each with a unique sound that kept things interesting. And that's enough for me to give it 4 stars. I don't have a favorite track, but Lazitis stood out for me (for sampling Ticket to Ride). Other tracks I really liked were Country Song, Mad Cyril, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote for Luck, Do It Better, Hallelujah, and Rave On. That's half the album...
It wasn’t as good as ‘Pills n Thrills n Bellyaches’ but this album was useful to hear that blend of New Wave and electronic influences which became the Madchester sound. This album is heavily influenced by the talking heads, the smiths, and Lazyitis was very reminiscent of the Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. Overall a nice coherent transition album.
I'm uhhh .. really BUMMED this album is something I had to hear before I die
The musical equivalent of licking doorknobs.
It’s no pills and thrills but I suspect a few were had in the making.
Belanglos, langweilig, überflüssig - mir gehen in Bezug auf die Platten in dieser Liste, die besser nicht aufgenommen worden wären, langsam die Adjektive aus.
Yeah I was pretty bummed when this came up. Terrible.
Tym razem tak wyspiarsko undergroundowy albumik, ze az zwiazany z manchesterem, bo wedlug wiki jest to gatunek zwany madchester, a czym jest ten oblakany czester, wiec jest to muzyka z pogranicza funka roka, na ktora powstanie miala wspolczesna scena rave, wiec rok 88 muzyka elektro i mordownie ekstazowo lsdowe menczesteru, takie jest wlasnie tlo tego albumiku, juz nawet teraz slysze, ze ciekawie musi to brzmiec jeszcze pod wplywem psychoaktywnoych substancji, syntezatorowe noisy jak na moving in with daja ciekawe efekty, dobry odsluch, bo nie slyszalem jeszcze czegos podobnego, ozywienie psychodelicznego rokowania w nowej orginalnej postaci, tutaj syntezatory klawiszowe, a zaraz ktos na sitarce robi solowke, przy czym wokalista sobie gwizda na wszystko, doslownie, a co do wokalu, to nie jest to spiewanie wyczynowe a raczej spiewanie psychodeliczne, wiec tez dosc specyficzne, widoczne jest wykorzystanie substancji podczas tworzenia tej plyty, ale o dziwo nie ucierpiala na tym produkcja, bo albumik jest jakosciowy jesli chodzi o mastering, sprawdzam kto tam to mixowal, a to pan Martin Hannett od joy division, wiec swiatowej klasy producent, liczynie jest to zabawa w narkotyki, glowny motyw, na plejaka leci wrote for luck, brain dead i country song, jak bedzie okazja trzeba przesluchac jak wypada reszta dyskografii bandy, albo raczej ich lidera Ryderowego, bo widze, ze sporo stuffu pod innymi bandami rowniez tworzyl
Enjoyable and catchy. Very listenable even on first play.
Groovy
I didn't expect this to be good and was pleasantly surprised. Started off strong with a little bit of a lull but most of this album was really good.
Nick was loving it!
idk yet
Kamalt El Hadra Ethenya M 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. I'm Better, Ahmed Still Needs Help. I'm Still Waiting For Calls
I had never heard of Happy Mondays and had zero expectations going in, but I really liked this album. It definitely sounds of a time, but in many ways sounds relevant today as well. Fat White Family seems like the closest modern contemporary. An unusual but catchy blend of dance and '80s pop rock, Bummed is great for repeat listens.
I feel like I had this idea years ago where you could mix punk and new wave styles with a psychedelic flow, but I never found something that hit its mark quite like this. Magazine by Magazine was pretty good, but it was more gothic than what I had in mind. This is a perfect blend of new wave and psychedelia. The lyrics are on point for a new wave album, but they are heavily based in psychedelic music in their tone. The cadence is very new wave, but the subjects range in a more psychedelic style than most new wave projects which I think is pretty daring. The instrumentation has a lot of contemporary aesthetics in the drums and guitars. The addition of the keys to be that 60s style is a choice that I really love since I can't get enough of that sound. Definitely a stranger album, but I think I will only like it more and more with age. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
This was way better than I expected, despite the shitty prod and mix.
Wicked!
Ayyy Bez was on Pimp My Ride UK, cool guy
Total revelation. Never heard of these guys before. Why????
Chaotic fun, perfect soundtrack to my late 80s life
I’ve kept coming back to this album for more than 30 years. It’s a complete mess from start to finish and sounds like it was recorded in a club toilet. But it’s also great in its own shambolic way. Shaun Ryder sings out of tune like no one’s listening and there’s something of the everyman in that, he’s not trying to be a rock star. He’s also a great lyricist. The way he uses the rhythms of ordinary (often sweary) language to express meaning and match the melody is extraordinary. For example, the lines from ‘Wrote For Luck’ about his lack of education: ‘I’ve not been trained, I can sit and stand and beg and roll over, I don’t read I just guess’. Ryder isn’t book smart and he can barely sing, but he’s very good with words. He was awarded the NME Godlike Genius award in 2000, and I know they give the award every year but there really is something preternaturally gifted about Shaun Ryder that justifies the genius label. Best song: Wrote For Luck
not another fucking Happy Mondays album. oh wait it’s good actually. pretty tripped out. some of the songs kinda blend, but the vibe’s good. a more interesting, less sterile version of the following album.
Lovely ecstasy filled tunes from the past, early psychedelic rock
3.5. Very early nu wave vibes with some music that seems to have influenced the 80s, especially the poppier The Cure
Oki Pop
Pretty solid melding of genres. I’m into it! The lead guitar on “Lazyitis” is beautiful with all that reverb.
Leuk! Smaakt naar meer.
Nooit in de Happy Mondays verdiept maar dit is echt wel tof! Duidelijk waar Stone Roses zich door hebben laten inspireren.
English Grunge? Yes please.
4/5 - fun!
Quite enjoyable at a first listen, time will tell how good.
vella gay
I will listen to this today!
I really enjoyed listening to this album and will definitely put a few songs on my running playlist. Kinda like a mash of Talking Heads, Green Day and the Cure, if that's possible. I especially liked the first track and now can't get "lalalala redneck" out of my head. And, who doesn't like a song that ends with a horse neigh? I would advise against selling ecstasy to the army, though!
Happy Mondays at their very best
Pretty good album! I’d like to use this time to ask ask the question; why is it that Spotify and Apple Music always put these remastered versions of albums up that double the songs of the original release? It’s always a bunch of B-sides or demos. Really kills the flow of an album or in the case of one like Bummed, I have no idea if this is a double album or just expanded. I have to assume because they're the latest version the studios have put out, so that’s what these services are able to license. I’ve noticed this trend more going through the list of albums and most LPs are usually only 30-45 minutes long, but the version that’s available is 2 hours long. It’s too much! It’s like if the only version of Lord of the Rings that was available was the extended editions. I would never watch them!
I really liked this.
Wow I didn't know what to think but I really, really liked this. Heavy Cure like sound but nothing wrong with that.
old school
Takes a while to click but once the fug clears it's great, love the grooves and just the general vibe. 3.5 rounded up
-The singer in "Fat Lady Wrestlers" sounds a bit like Ace Frehley -Overall a pretty nice funk/dance/rock-ish album. Generally nice. Nothing was mind-blowing, but the energy was good. Probably a soft 4 star album.
Really cool alternative rock album from the late 80s. It presages a lot of musical ideas that will come to fruition in the 90s. Well worth a listen 4/5
I really liked Brain Dead and Do It Better. The album was pleasant to listen to, and not much "bothered me" but not too much stood out. A 3.5 is really more accurate than a 3 or a 4 here, but since that isn't an option and I'm having a good day, it's a 4.
I think Luke would break up with me if I rated this less than 4... but luckily I did really enjoy this and recognised a good few off here. It's so much of things I love about 80s rock - synths, the way the vocals are mixed, the drums. again, another album which makes me reminiscent of the 80s even though I wasn't there
Felt like I was high in the first parts of the song traveling across the country and then decided to take acid when it wore off through the rest of it. Really good stuff.
I wasn't sure an ecstasy-fueled psychedelic album from the 80s would be my cup of tea. But I enjoyed this more than I expected. Witty lyrics and a great 80s dance vibe made me think this might have been just the ticket for an ecstasy-fueled evening at the hottest club in 1989. Interesting and fun!
4/5
A great listen
Never heard this album before. Pretty great all round
Sounds like The Smiths, Killing Joke, New Order and The Beatles put in a blender with a generous helping of coke and ecstasy sprinkled in
Love a bit of mondys
Moving in With: Drum nya keren, rima kata di liriknya jga lucu. Aransemen lagunya juga trippy, mungkin krna dri penggunaan ekstasi & obat2an yg banyak waktu rekaman albumnya. Mad cyril: itu hammond organ kah? Boleh lah utk efeknya di lagu. Bring a friend: di saat tertentu, vokalnya out of time, tpi instrumental album nya ttp bikin formula nya bekerja, jdi ga kacau bgt. Lazyitis: Lgu yg ditulis jga dngan bantuan lirik dri Beatles - Ticket to Ride. Unik jga krna kyk dnger lgu Beatles tpi dimodif sama Happy Mondays
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Do it better
Слушала его вчера фоном, как фоновая музыка он офигенный. Че-то бодренькое, слова повторяются, мелодии повторяются, нет никакого надрыва. Лайк.
PREFS : Country Song, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote For Luck, Bring a Friend, Do It Better, Lazy Itis MOINS PREF : Mad Cyril
Such an original and interesting piece of alternative. Mixes ‘70s punk with hint of ‘80s electronic. It feels like a precursor to something like Le Tigre. I’d never heard of this but enjoyed it quite a bit.
I really like Fat Lady Wrestlers.
Very fun album. Favorite track: Mad Cyril
Really enjoyed this, got me into exploring the Madchester genre. Close to a 5-star..
Really enjoyed this. Kind of hard pop punk definitely from the 80s
Great time. In some ways a warm up to pills n thrills but I can't get enough of the sound this band had. A great record.
Probably the only album themed around the movie Performance
I got late to the Happy Mondays party. I listened to them for the first time around 2016; their music grabbed me instantaneously. I watched the movie/documentary "24 hours party people," and the rest is history. Bummed is Happy Mondays at its core. It may be super dated, but the album brings great and stoned vibes that make your limbs move. Performance, Wrote for Luck, Brain Dead and Fat Lady Wrestlers are a must in this album. Press play and enjoy mate!
7/10 fun album, easily forgettable, but still pretty good
This was a fun listening experience. I knew around half of the tracks really well from a "best of" album I owned in the 90s. The other half were almost entirely new to me. I can see why some people would be annoyed by the production, Shaun's vocals, or even the fact this music is very much "of it's time". None of these are problems for me in the slightest. I've always liked the stream of consciousness lyrics that Mr Ryder comes up with, the strange combination of alt-rock, psychedelia, and dance music. It was far from a perfect album, probably somewhere between a 3 and a 4 stars, but I'm going to hike it up to 4 stars for how original this was at the time.
This takes me back to the good ol' days!
Kinda post punk, kinda funky, kinda psychedelic Pretty enjoyable for a lot of it
Surprisingly good. I didn’t have high expectations after the opening track, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but a definite mess. It only got better from there, though, culminating in the great songs ‘Do It Better’ and ‘Lazyitis’. At those high points especially, it’s got such a layered sound and production. A nice, dense album overall.
More interesting than a lot of 80s pop.
Really good rocking album. 4 stars.
Not my scene
I kind of like this one a *little* more than the previous one I listened to, but it's still a hazy ... something. The drugs in Manchester must have been great. Favorite tracks: "Mad Cyril", "Fat Lady Wrestlers", "Brain Dead"
Good but I like Pills n Thrills better
Ecstasy Alternative
weird sound but a few good songs
So much of this was good. Real weird and the lyrics were lame in a good way too. Quite smiths like that second track too. Obvs v stone roses too.
It turns out the only Happy Mondays songs I've heard are from their next album. Had a hard time getting into this album at first; it walks a very fine line between shaggy and sloppy. "Wrote For Luck" is a standout, also helped to listen to some of the remixes on the Collector's Edition. "Lazyitis" also was a bright spot on my first listen. Tough to rate; probably a 2.5. 2 if I focus on the negatives and 3 on the things it does well. Wikipedia highlight: "Bummed is definitely an E album, perhaps the first full album ever made on that drug"
pretty good
Cool to hear them in a more psychedelic phase. Bits of this were even shoegazey. But kinda forgettable sometimes too?
It helped to understand that they were on MDMA when they made this. I almost get it. If those were their only instruments, I suppose I could see how this would be the byproduct. But… not my thing.
It was enjoyable. I didn't listen to it loudly enough. I bet it's a banger at high volumes. 3.5.
Herrgott, wer hat Alben erfunden, die länger dauern als eine Folge Breaking Bad? War aber ned schlecht. Dh. 3
Semibängeri Jännä punk/rock/emt?
Very late 80s. I feel like if they were a bit more melodic, they could have easily been on iconic 80s movies soundtracks. Some fun bops but none help my attention.
Reminds me of The Cure, just not quite as good.
really catchy, pleasing, indie music. Hard to guess when it was produced. Could have come out this year for all I know.
No están mal, pero un poco dolor de cabeza. Les daré un 3.
Good but won’t go back and listen again
5
Enjoyable enough but didn’t really wow me
Liked this a lot.
"Son, I'm flirty - I only went with your mamma 'cos she's dirty" The inimitable Shaun Ryder and the Happy Mondays. It feels out of time and I don't think it's aged that well.
I didn't really give this album an attentive listen but having it on in the background it really struck me as well... background music. Nothing really popped here for me to make me want to take a closer look. But that said, it was enjoyable to have on. I'm sure there's a universe in which I could get really into it.
Not new to psychedelic genre, but I usually listen to rock instead of funk- Also they were definitely on smthn when recording these songs cuz Most Memorable Song : Mad Cyril - just like all the songs in this album its messy, but it doesnt take away from the song it just adds 👌 Other moments : Lazyitis sounds like it was made by an irish bad ngl. Also they were definitely going through it when they wrote Performance
Happy Mondays are great, but this album is rubbish. Shaun can’t sing for toffee.
Very much of its time. Not sure it holds up as a classic album. Interesting, but I wouldn’t revisit. Ryder’s vocals are fun but Happy Mondays sounds like a party you arrive at too late and everyone is wasted and they’re having more fun than you. Which is probably true.
Some nice things, but not amazing